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posted by takyon on Saturday June 17 2017, @01:20AM   Printer-friendly
from the 7th-fleet's-bad-week dept.

A U.S. Navy vessel has collided with a container vessel southwest of Yokosuka, Japan:

Seven U.S. sailors are unaccounted for after a Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship southwest of Yokosuka, Japan, early Saturday local time, a U.S. official and the Navy said.

Some flooding was reported aboard the USS Fitzgerald, a 505-foot destroyer, after the collision with a Philippine container vessel at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday local time (1:30 p.m. ET Friday), about 56 nautical miles of Yokosuka, the U.S. 7th Fleet said.

Also at Reuters.

mrpg wrote in with another story about a U.S. Navy sailor who was reported missing and presumed dead after a search by the Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and Japan's Coast Guard. He was found days later, hiding in one of the engine rooms.


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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 17 2017, @04:20AM (7 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 17 2017, @04:20AM (#526810)

    You know how accurate the news can be, esp. when it's a fresh story... story is Navy ship is damaged above and below waterline. Pics show huge damage midship, starboard side. If she was rammed by the container vessel, there will be a big hole below waterline. Somewhat recently someone discovered that boats/ships move more easily in water with that big bulbous underwater bow projection commonly seen now. It's easy to search for pics if you haven't seen it. That thing would cause a mess of damage.

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  • (Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday June 17 2017, @05:35AM (5 children)

    by anubi (2828) on Saturday June 17 2017, @05:35AM (#526837) Journal

    Woooo.... I wasn't even thinking about that..... Likely we haven't seen hardly the start of the damage then.

    Given the damage seen above the waterline, I can only imagine the damage below the waterline ( to both vessels ).

    Sure explains the pee rate shown in the videos. Wonder why its not worse?

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
    • (Score: 4, Informative) by KGIII on Saturday June 17 2017, @08:08AM (4 children)

      by KGIII (5261) on Saturday June 17 2017, @08:08AM (#526867) Journal

      Just to make sure...

      Facing ahead, use your thumb and pointer to make an L. L is your left side. It has four fingers. Port has four letters. Port is on your left.

      But, what I want to mention is that she will probably steam home under her own power. If not, they will send out a ship that can ballast itself, sink below her, and then remove the ballast and give her a ride home. She is pissing water because that is what she is supposed to do.

      I put her odds of sinking at 0%. They have watertight compartments and certain hatches are closed while underway. You can break the beam and both halves will float, assuming protocol was followed. It's actually quite difficult to sink a USN ship. They kinda pretty much design it like that, which really is a bit obvious.

      But, yeah, they will pump her out and keep pumping her out until she returns to port for repairs. The loss of life is unfortunate, but the ship will be fine.

      Caution: Watch her when she comes into port. If it is full of excessive nationalism, there might be a problem. Tradition is, they don't make a scene when limping home. I don't recall the name of the flag, but they will be flying a flag that will be the utmost height, even higher than the Stars and Bars - I think? Either way, if there's a lot of fanfare, that speaks to an issue larger.

      Anyhow, I should mention this is a ship. They get right pissed if you call it a boat. Subs are boats, for some reason.

      The thing on the front is called a bulbous bow. It started in WWI with the bulbous forefoot.

      Anyhow, they don't want a tragedy to go to waste. I'd keep an eye out for excessive nationalism, specifically. If this is televised, as in a hour long special, get your passport. I kinda doubt it, but it traditionally a quiet affair.

      Source: Me. Eight years as a Marine. Marines are a under the Department of the Navy. Father did 32 years, bother did four, and the other side of the family was all Navy. I rode on their boat and did a lot of mopping. I painted a lot, too. That was how I guarded the boat. Seriously, they hate when you call it a boat.

      Oh, they really do call it swabbing the deck. And, really, I had nothing better to do.

      At first, it goes like this:

      "Who here has a driver's license?"
      Somebody steps forward.
      "Good, then you are qualified to drive this mop."
      Do not fall for that. However, if you don't fall for it, you will still be voluntold. Pissing water is what she is supposed to do.

      But, that is enough digression.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
      • (Score: 1, Troll) by aristarchus on Saturday June 17 2017, @09:26AM (1 child)

        by aristarchus (2645) on Saturday June 17 2017, @09:26AM (#526875) Journal

        Thanks, KGIII, I love it when Marines attain self-consciousness!

        • (Score: 2) by KGIII on Saturday June 17 2017, @11:28PM

          by KGIII (5261) on Saturday June 17 2017, @11:28PM (#527200) Journal

          I can even count to 11 without having to pull out my pecker.

          --
          "So long and thanks for all the fish."
      • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Saturday June 17 2017, @02:00PM

        by hemocyanin (186) on Saturday June 17 2017, @02:00PM (#526969) Journal

        Amusing but I'm out of mod points. As to port/starbord, the trick I heard is to think of the phrase "the ship left port" -- port is on the left.

      • (Score: 2) by number6 on Saturday June 17 2017, @02:32PM

        by number6 (1831) on Saturday June 17 2017, @02:32PM (#526981) Journal

        "[is there any] red port [wine] left"

        "red port left" is extrapolated from the sentence and repeated ad infinitum until it sticks in your head.

        It becomes a fingertip mnemonic for the sailor to remember: Port is left and red, therefore Starboard is right and green.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Saturday June 17 2017, @01:55PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday June 17 2017, @01:55PM (#526967) Journal

    Small correction, if I may. The damage is "forward". The boiler room is "midships", and the bridge is "forward". Thirty feet further forward, and the damage would be the starboard bow. Thirty to fifty feet further aft, the damage would have been to the boiler room. And, many ships have gone straight to the bottom when it's boilers were flooded with cold seawater. What I think of as a standard ship's layout means that flooding belowdecks is probably confined to crew's berthing, and maybe a couple of smaller storerooms. Of course, belowdecks layout may not match my own experience exactly.